


Old Habits Die Hard

by orphan_account



Category: South Park
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Fluff, M/M, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-02-14 19:58:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13015074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tweek breaks off their relationship unexpectedly during senior year, and Craig vows to win him back by graduation.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is gonna have some angst so if you want creek that’s just completely fluffy go read...literally any of my other creek fics

They were twelve years old, and holding hands in Craig’s backyard. It was the June before seventh grade, and they had spent most of the summer firmly connected by the hands. 

“Can we go inside now?” Craig asked, tugging a strand of Tweek’s hair and curling it around his finger. 

“Craig, it’s only sunny like three days out of the year in South Park. I’m taking full advantage of this one.” 

Craig sighed, leaning into the large oak tree behind him. 

“Whatever. As long as I get to be with you.” 

The words escaped his mouth without him even deciding on them, and he blushed. The sentiment was a bit much for a random Thursday morning. Tweek only giggled, craning his neck to look at him sweetly. 

“I feel the same way.” He said. 

Craig smirked, giving his hand a light squeeze. Tweek was so attractive when he smiled. Almost..pretty. Like an angel.

“Hey Craig?” Tweek asked. 

“Yeah, honey?” 

“How long have your parents been married?” 

Craig was surprised by the question. Whatever it was he’d been expecting, it certainly wasn’t that. 

“I have no idea.” He answered honestly. 

“Really?” Tweek asked. “No idea?” 

“Zero.” 

Craig couldn’t really bring himself to care about details like that. Who cared how long his parents had been married?

“Well, mine have been together for 15 years.” Tweek said proudly. 

“Oh?” Craig asked. 

He had really didn’t know where Tweek was going with this. 

“Yes.” Tweek said. “And I think that’s really cool.”

He paused, looking a little nervous. With the hand that wasn’t holding Craig’s, he picked at the time grass.

“Do you think...we could be together that long?” 

Craig’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained as straight as it always was. 

“Tweek.” He said seriously. “I think we could be together forever.” 

“Forever?” Tweek asked with a smile. 

He liked the sound of that. 

***

“Tweek’s been acting really fucking weird lately.” Clyde Donovan stage whispered, pushing away his lunch tray.

It was lunch hour in September of their senior year, and he was whispering conspiratorially to his friends in the school cafeteria. 

Across the round table, they looked skeptical. Clyde said a lot of questionable shit. It was only two weeks ago that he tried skateboarding off the roof of his house.

“Tweek is always weird.” Craig replied simply. 

Craig Tucker was endlessly loyal to his boyfriend, but he was also a realist, which meant he had to be honest. Tweek was a weird guy. 

“No!” Clyde insisted, waving his hands. “Like, weirder than normal.” 

“W-weirder like h-h-how?” Jimmy asked. 

Clyde huffed, taking a long and rather disgusting slurp of his chocolate milk before speaking. 

“Like, for example-“ He cut himself off, wiping milk off his chin. 

“You’re disgusting.” Token said in a barely audible whisper, rolling his eyes. 

“He called me an idiot in fifth period today.” Clyde continued. 

His friends exchanged glances, unsure whether it would be appropriate to outwardly express their amusement. 

“Uh Clyde?” Token piped up after a moment. 

“Yeah?” 

“You are an idiot.” 

Clyde glared at him over the milk carton as Craig and Jimmy smirked. 

“That’s not the point!” He said. “The point is that Tweek never calls me an idiot! He’s nowhere near as big a douche as you guys.” 

Jimmy was actually giggling now at the dramatics in front of him, picking at his lasagna with a fork. Token scoffed. 

“You probably provoked him.” Craig reasoned. “Did you say anything stupid?” 

“I-“

“Because you probably shouldn’t be in AP Lang with him in the first place. The principal only agreed to it because he wants free shoes from your dad’s store.”

Clyde’s glower deepened, and he kicked purposefully under the table. 

“Ow!” Token cried, and Clyde winced, looking immediately apologetic. 

“Sorry! That was for Craig!” 

Craig just sighed, giving Clyde a halfhearted kick of his own. In truth, he had noticed a change in Tweek recently. He’d been more reserved, and more tense. Like maybe he was hiding something.

Yesterday, Craig kissed him and he just froze. It was maybe the first time in eight years that he hadn’t kissed back.

“Tweek h-h-has been acting kind of strange, though.” Jimmy pointed out. “He’s hardly been t-ta-talking.” 

“Exactly!” Clyde agreed. “And normally he won’t shut up!” 

“I guess that is true.” Token conceded. “Maybe he’s sick or something?” 

“Maybe he’s cheating on Craig!” Clyde suggested excitedly. 

Craig flipped him off. There was no way in hell that Tweek was cheating on him. 

“Guys! There he is now!” Clyde hissed, looking behind the others to where Tweek was approaching. 

Craig turned around in his seat to face his boyfriend, expecting Tweek to reach the table, bend down, and kiss him as he did every day during lunch. But he didn’t. Tweek ignored their routine completely and instead stopped in his tracks, looking worried. 

“Craig, can you come here for a second?” He asked. 

Craig frowned. Tweek looked very disconcerted about something. 

“Of course, baby.” He answered. “Is everything okay?” 

“Just come here.” 

As their friends stared curiously, Tweek led him to a quieter corner of the cafeteria and an empty table. They sat down, and Craig found himself becoming more confused by the second. Tweek took a breath, seeming to build courage and-

“Will you meet me after school today?” He asked. 

Craig blinked once, confused by the question. 

“What? What do you mean? I meet you after school every day to drive you home. Are you okay, Tweek?” 

Tweek shook his head back and forth a few times on a swivel, and Craig noticed that he was pale. 

“No.” He corrected. “I mean later this evening. At Stark’s Pond. Can you come?” 

Craig was still confused. He leaned in closer, setting a hand on Tweek’s. 

“Okay, honey. But why? If you want to mess around, we can just-“ 

Tweek turned immediately red, shaking his head again. 

“No! No. Not that. I just want to talk.”

Craig nodded and gave his hand a squeeze. 

“Okay. I’m sure it won’t be an issue. Is that all you wanted to ask?” 

“Yes!” Tweek said too quickly. “I have to go to the library now.”

“What?” 

“I have to go to the library! I’ll see you tonight, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” 

And with that, Tweek stood up, swung his bag over one shoulder, and began to speed walk away. 

“Bye, Craig.” He said simply. 

“Bye! Love you!” Craig called.

When Tweek didn’t say it back, Craig told himself he must not have heard. 

****

The sun was almost beginning to set by the time Tweek decided he wanted to meet. The pond had a thin layer of ice on it, and both boys stared at their reflections instead of meeting eyes. 

Tweek had called him at 6:00 on the dot, announcing that he was ready for their evening meeting.

“Do you need a ride?” Craig asked. 

He often joked that his was Tweek’s chauffeur due to how much he drove him around. To school, to therapy, to get fast food when he was hungry. He never minded though. It just meant that he got to spend more time with his boyfriend. 

“So, what’s the deal, dude?” Craig asked now. 

He figured this whole thing would be rather simple. Tweek would explain his odd behavior, Craig would calm him down, and then they’d go back to his house and play with Stripe. As it turned out, things weren’t exactly so simple. 

Tweek shifted his body so that they were facing each other, and stared at him almost blankly. It made Craig uncomfortable. Tweek’s habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve meant his emotions were easy to read, and now he just looked like stone. 

“Tweek?” He prompted. 

Tweek’s face didn’t change, but he pulled the backpack he was wearing from off his shoulders and set it on the floor. Silently he knelt down, unzipped it, and pulled out an article of clothing folded into a bundle. Craig couldn’t tell what it was. 

“Here.” Tweek said stiffly, standing back up. “This is yours.” 

Craig took it from, confused, and unfolded it. It was a hoodie. His own hoodie, actually. Navy blue with the NASA logo spread across the chest. Tweek had been wearing it for forever. 

Craig had gotten it for Christmas two years before, but Tweek had latched onto it immediately. It was oversized to begin with, which meant Tweek absolutely swam in it. He’d said once that in made him feel close to Craig, even when he wasn’t here. 

“Why are you giving me this?” Craig asked, bringing down the sweater so he could look Tweek in the eyes. 

“Why are you giving me this?” 

Tweek stared at the ground. 

“I don’t want it anymore.” 

Craig just stared back, like if he looked at him for long enough it would tell him what the fuck was going on. 

“You don’t want my jacket anymore? Why not?” 

“I’m-“ 

He stops. He takes a long, shuddering breath. Craig can feel his heart sinking to his toes. 

“I’m breaking up with you.” Tweek finishes. 

Craig thinks he might actually throw up, and the nausea only increases with each passing moment. 

“What?” He asked. His voice is embarrassingly shaky. 

“I think we should stop doing this shit.” Tweek said coldly. 

It was the flattest Craig had ever heard his voice. It didn’t shake. He didn’t twitch. The words were just...there. Craig was thrown for a loop. 

“What do you mean?” 

“This. All of this. It was fun while it lasted, wasn’t it?” 

There it is. He’s twitching now. The real Tweek is boiling over the cold surface and rudely interrupting his break up speech, and Craig can tell that he’s annoyed with himself for letting it happen. He shakes his head. 

“This? This as in us?” He asked in disbelief. “You’re breaking up with me? After five fucking years, you’re breaking up with me?” 

“That’s what it looks like!” Tweek snapped, abandoning the facade completely. 

There was spit flying out of his mouth and crimson rising in his face as he spoke, causing Craig to take three steps back. He knew better than anyone how willing Tweek would be to throw the first punch. 

He was furious about something, that much was clear, but Craig didn’t know what. Had he done something to deserve this? Hurt Tweek somehow? 

“This isn’t supposed to be happening.” Craig said, almost to himself. “We’re the power couple, Tweek. Everyone thinks we’re perfect.” 

Tweek actually screamed then, releasing an animalistic noise from deep in his throat. 

“Are you kidding me, Craig?” He shrieked. 

Craig rolled his eyes, sighing exaggeratedly. Tweek glowered at him. 

“Our relationship has never gotten to just be about us.” He said darkly. “This whole town thinks everything is their business when it isn’t, and you’re seriously about to make this about them too?”

“What the fuck is this about?” Craig shot back, ignoring Tweek completely. 

His own anger was coming to a head and would soon give way to heartache; he could tell. He felt as though the world was crumbling at his feet. 

Tweek looked almost as confused as he did, throwing his head back as though making a a silent plea to the heavens. 

“I just-“

His sentence broke off almost immediately and he turned away, trying his best not to break down into tears. Craig felt a pang in his chest. Guilt. Misery. A terrible, terrible rush of anxiety. He stepped forward to comfort his (ex?) boyfriend, but Tweek brought a hand up to stop him. 

“I’m fine.” He spat out. “I don’t always need you to protect me, you know? I can handle my own emotions.” 

Confused, Craig reached out his hand a second time.

“Tweek, I know th-“

“Not that you’d know anything about emotions, you robot.” 

Craig lowered his hand slowly, carefully. He didn’t want to set off any more yelling. 

Something on his face must have resonated with Tweek as he did this because the other boy froze. His own expression softened just the slightest bit, like he was just now remembering that boy in front of him was Craig Tucker. 

Craig Tucker, who had held his hand and helped him with math homework and soothed him through anxiety attacks for the last eight years.

“Craig,” he started, “I’m sorry for doing this, okay? I just need some time.” 

Craig gaped at him. It didn’t make any sense. None of this did. He and Tweek were supposed to be the couple everyone envied! The one they wanted to be! And sure being the token gay couple was annoying, but it was a hell of a lot better than whatever this was. 

“Tweek..” He said, choking back a sob. 

Tweek looked at him expectantly, visibly miserable. 

“I love you.” Craig said eventually. “I love you so...much.” 

Tweek was practically hyperventilating now, and his lips were trembling. As angry and confused and upset as he was, Craig hated it. He still wanted Tweek to be happy. He probably always would. 

“I know, Craig.” Tweek whispered. “Me too.” 

“Then wh-?” 

“I have to go home now.” Tweek said simply. 

Craig didn’t answer. 

“I have to go.” Tweek repeated. 

He looked heartbroken, and angry, and little bit horrified with this whole thing. As he turned on his heel to leave, Craig snapped out of his trance. 

“Do you need a ride home?” He asked in a rush. “It’s getting dark outside.” 

Even to his own ears, he sounded absolutely pathetic. Tweek just looked irritated again. 

“I can take care of myself.” He said firmly, and began walking in the other direction without another word. 

As Tweek left, Craig felt something inside him snap in two. This couldn’t possibly be happening. This couldn’t be his new reality. Maybe it was naive of him, but he’d kind of thought he and Tweek were...forever. Or something close to it.


	2. september

Explaining the breakup to his family was difficult. Embarrassing, uncomfortable, and very, very difficult. 

He had sobbed in the car. Actually sobbed. It had probably been more than a year since he’d even shed a tear, and at least then he’d had Tweek to comfort him. 

In fact, Tweek was always there to comfort him. 

“You don’t have to be afraid to be upset, Craig.” He would say so sincerely, pulling him in for a hug. “I’m right here, okay?” 

The thought made Craig’s stomach hurt. With Tweek no longer in the picture, everything was different. He would have to adapt to life without the person who made it worth living. 

Craig couldn’t believe how much things had changed in a matter of minutes. Yesterday he’d been in a relationship with the most beautiful boy in the world, and now he was sobbing in his car. He wished he’d treasured the good times more thoroughly when he had them. 

“How was your date, sweetie?” His mom asked when he came home from the pond. 

The words were casual, because she had no idea that her son’s heart was breaking as he stood in front of her. 

She was sitting on their living room with a couch and reading something, as his father and sister watched one of the Jason Bourne movies. 

“It wasn’t a date.” Craig said stiffly. 

He was terrified that he would start crying if he spoke in longer sentences, and that would be nothing short of humiliating. 

“Just a hook up, then?” Tricia asked with a nasty smirk.

“Patricia Tucker!” Their mother scolded. “Don’t tease your brother, and don’t be so fucking vulgar!”

Their father muted the TV with a sigh, turning to look at Craig. 

“Ignore your sister. How was your date, son?”

“Not a date.” Craig reiterated. 

“Then what was it?” 

Craig swallowed a lump in his throat and weighed his options. He could run off to his room and leave this problem to fester until later, or he could rip off the band aid. 

“He broke up with me.” He mumbled, deciding on the later. 

His family leaned in closer, looking confused.

“What?” 

“Say that again, Craig. We couldn’t hear you.” 

“He broke up with me!” Craig repeated, much louder this time. 

Tricia’s jaw dropped to the floor, and his mother actually gasped. His father just looked gravely serious. 

“Is that true?” He asked gruffly. 

Craig just nodded, because the crying in front of his family thing was becoming more likely by the second. 

“That’s...horrible.” His mother said after a moment. “I’m so, so sorry, sweetie.”

Maybe communication issues ran in the family, he thought, because it was abundantly clear that no one knew what to say. 

“That really sucks.” His sister said simply. “Do you know why?” 

“Not really.” Craig said with a shrug. “He was really vague.” 

“I can’t believe it.” His mom whispered almost to herself. 

“Can I go to my room?” Craig asked in a quiet voice. 

With a sympathetic smile, his father nodded. 

“Go ahead, son.” 

Now it was upwards of 12 hours after the breakup, and Craig still hadn’t recovered. He made the drive to South Park High alone, and found himself missing the shitty music Tweek usually played. 

As he stormed in through the back doors of the school it was with his head down, feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable. He knew he was in for a million questions regarding the current state of his relationship. 

He hadn’t told anyone himself, but Tweek had surely told his parents, who probably told Randy Marsh, who told Stan, who told Kyle, who told Kenny and Cartman, and on and on it went. News in South Park traveled fast. 

Craig couldn’t decide who he was more worried about running into: Clyde or the girls. Not that there was much of difference, really. They’d all whine and cry and complain loudly about the end of an era, even though Craig clearly didn’t want to talk about it. 

Craig was distracted from his inner turmoil only when he ran headfirst into someone coming from the other end of the hall. Startled, he looked up and saw that it was Stan Marsh. Ugh, how fucking fantastic. He wouldn’t even want to talk to that guy on a good day. 

“Oh! Hey, man.” Stan said. 

He gripped onto both of Craig’s shoulders in that annoyingly alpha male fashion, looking intently into his eyes. This behavior was strange, of course, and told Craig one very important thing: he already knew about the break up. 

“Hey, Marsh.” He said with a sigh. 

He’d already resigned himself to the questions, and the comments, and all the half assed attempts at comforting him. 

“I’m really sorry about what happened.” Stan said, and he actually squeezed Craig’s shoulder. 

Craig shook him off, glaring. He was at least a foot taller than Stan and used it to his advantage. Stan brought his hands up in surrender and took a step back. 

“Sorry if I’m being nosy, dude.” He said. “I just now how much break ups suck.” 

Craig made a disgusted noise. Stan was so fucking fake. Why would he even pretend like he cared?

“What would you know about how I’m feeling?” He demanded. “What, because you and Wendy broke up three times during freshman year? Don’t even compare our relationships, asshole.” 

Stan looked first embarrassed, then guilty, then annoyed. 

“I’m the asshole?” He asked disbelieving. 

With that, he just rolled his eyes and kept walking. 

****

As was to be expected, Clyde was rather torn up over the big news. He’d been alternating all day between cursing Tweek’s name and waxing poetic about the dangers of love, and everyone was getting pretty annoyed. 

“Are you sure there’s no chance that you’ll get back together?” He whined during lunch. 

“Will you shut up already?” Craig asked. “It wasn’t my idea, obviously! I can’t do anything to change it.” 

“But can’t you try?” Clyde asked. “You’re miserable without him, I can tell!”

“Just drop it.” Token ordered. “He’s having a hard enough time without you being obnoxious.” 

Dude, thank god for Token, Craig thought. He was always so level headed and reasonable and actually normal, which was nothing short of a miracle in this town. 

“H-honestly, Clyde.” Jimmy agreed. “You’re being k-ki-kind of a dick.” 

And Jimmy was great too. He was sarcastic and blunt, and always spoke his mind. He was never afraid to stand up for himself or his friends. 

Clyde, on the other hand, was being insufferable. It wasn’t that Craig didn’t love and appreciate their friendship, it was just that he was a little much sometimes. Like right now, for instance. 

Actually, Craig didn’t know what he hated more. Being handled with kid gloves by people like Token and Stan, or being constantly hounded about his current circumstances by Clyde and the girls. 

“It’s not like this is gonna last forever.” He told his friends in a tone that implied that this was obvious.

Token looked hesitant to answer, but finally quirked and eyebrow and looked confusedly at him. 

“It isn’t?” He asked. “I thought Tweek made this thing sound pretty...permanent.” 

“No way! Tweek and I will be back together by graduation, I guarantee it.” 

The declaration had started out as nothing but blowing steam, but as he said it Craig realized just how much conviction there was behind his words. He truly couldn’t imagine a life without Tweek, which meant that he would just have to win him back. There was no way around it. 

“Graduation?” Jimmy asked with a laugh. 

“Yes!” Craig said. “Tweek will be boyfriend again by graduation, okay?”

“Whatever you say, man.” Token said gently, clapping him on the back. 

Craig felt his heart drop when he saw just how much Token didn’t believe him, but still he resolved himself to repairing the relationship. The gap in their table where Tweek usually sat was tortuously noticeable, and Craig could feel it boring holes in his shirt.

****  
As the days and weeks passed, Craig’s anguish subsided very little. He found himself constantly having to explain that he was now single, and it hurt just as much every time. He’d corrected ‘boyfriend’ to ‘ex boyfriend’ in his head so many times that the word sounded like gibberish. 

Everyone gave him the same face when they heard the news: straight lips and sad eyes. Except for Wendy Testaburger. 

When Wendy found out she just smiled knowingly and patted him on the back. 

“This thing will work itself out.” She said confidently. 

At the time Craig had just pushed past her and moved on with the day, but he found himself thinking of her words every time thinking about things got too hard. Wendy was one of the two smartest people in school; she had to be right. 

One of the worst parts of the breakup’s aftermath was still having to see Tweek every day. They were in the same third period Physics class and it wasn’t like Craig could skip it every day, as much as he would have liked to. 

To matters worse they were seated right next to each other in the front row, and Craig had zoned out gazing wistfully at him more than once. Tweek had caught him a few times and met his eyes, just looking guilty. It was uncomfortable, to put it lightly. 

Craig would still try talking him a least three times a week, leaning over in class to whisper something or stopping at his locker to say hi. He knew he reeked of desperation, but he felt it was a necessity. If he was going to get Tweek back, he needed to make an effort. 

This was especially awkward in his case, because the behavior was so uncharacteristic for him that everyone could see how pathetic he was being. Craig Tucker didn’t make small talk. 

“Hey, dude.” He said one morning, setting a hand on Tweek’s desk to grab his attention. 

Tweek yelped, dropping his pencil to the floor and staring back at Craig with huge eyes. Craig leaned down to the floor and picked the pencil up, setting back on Tweek’s desk. 

“Sorry about that.” He said with an awkward chuckle. 

God, he hated this. He hated that he couldn’t even pick up Tweek’s pencil without feeling awkward. A week ago they’d been in love. Well, at least he’d been in love. Had Tweek fallen out of love with him even then? 

“What are you doing?” Tweek asked. 

Craig played dumb, flashing an unnatural looking smile. 

“What do you mean? I’m just saying hi to you.”

Tweek scoffed and shook his head, looking back down at his notebook. 

“Just do your work, Craig.” He whispered.

Craig felt the sting of rejection hot on his face as he looked away. 

****

At the two week mark, Clyde made a very unwelcome suggestion. 

“Maybe you should find yourself a new man.” He told Craig, whispering conspiratorially across the lunch table. 

Token and Jimmy flinched immediately. They knew Craig wouldn’t take kindly to that. 

“Why in the hell would I do that?” Craig asked bluntly. 

Tweek had disappeared from their usual lunch seats since the break up, and Craig’s eyes lingered on him instead of paying attention to his friends. He was sitting with Nicole Daniels, Heidi Turner, and Bebe Stevens, and he was laughing about something. 

“Because it’s been two weeks!” Clyde explained. “And Tweek seems to be over it already.” 

Four pairs of eyes shifted to look at Tweek’s table where he was still laughing. God, he looked happy. He and Heidi Turner were chatting amicably about something, which actually made a lot of sense. If anyone could relate to messy break ups, it was her. 

“Look!” Clyde said, gesturing pointedly toward him. “He doesn’t even care about you anymore.” 

The others grimaced. 

“Sh-s-shut-“ Jimmy started. 

“Shut the fuck up, Clyde.” Token finished for him. “You’re being so insensitive. Besides, you’re probably wrong.”

“He’s definitely wrong.” Craig cut in confidently. “You don’t spend eight years with someone and get over them in two weeks.” 

Clyde sighed dramatically, taking a bite out of his French fry. 

“But if you don’t get out of this rut you’re in, you won’t be over Tweek in two years!” He said with conviction and a mouthful of food. 

“I don’t need to get over him!” Craig argued. “We’ll be back together in no time.” 

“Right.” Clyde drawled sarcastically. “Because he’s totally being receptive to your totally brilliant plan.” 

Craig couldn’t really argue with him. Tweek definitely didn’t seem interested in getting back together. 

“I’m not dating anyone else, okay?” He said simply. 

Token looked at Clyde and then at him, seeming worried.

“I mean, maybe he isn’t completely wrong this time.” He said hesitantly. “It wouldn’t be a horrible idea for you to get back out there.” 

“Y-yeah.” Jimmy agreed. “You’ve never even b-b-be-been with anyone else.”

Craig didn’t know if he meant that in a romantic sense or a sexual one, but both things were true. He and Tweek’s first time had happened junior year in his bedroom, and it had been as life changing as it was terrifying. 

“Are there just not any cute guys at our school?” Clyde wondered. “Not counting me, of course.” 

“There are plenty of guys around here that I’m attracted to.” Craig said honestly. “Kenny’s hot as fuck, Kyle’s adorable, Stan Marsh is annoying as hell but still cute, that kid Thomas from out of town was my first crush...” 

As Craig rattled off the names of boys he thought were cute, the others just looked increasingly confused. 

“So you’re s-standards aren’t really all th-tha-that high?” Jimmy asked confusedly. 

“So why can’t you just find someone else?” Clyde added. 

“I’m not going to date anyone else.” Craig said again. “I’m just not.” 

“But what if it’s someone really, really ho-?”

“It doesn’t matter how hot he is, Clyde! It won’t be Tweek.” 

****  
As the month came to a close, Craig had to acknowledge that his attempts to reconcile with Tweek weren’t really getting anywhere. Tweek was moving on and making new friends and prospering, and Craig was still trapped in the moment they broke up. 

He guessed he hasn’t realized how bad it had gotten, the codependency. Everyone in town used to think of Craig Tucker as a boy that no one could get to. He could be kidnapped and held at gun point and still not even blink an eye. A meteor could crash into South Park, and he wouldn’t break a sweat. 

Now, though, he was revealing to everyone just how vulnerable he was. Maybe meteors or mad gun men didn’t scare him, but losing his boyfriend sure did. 

On the last Thursday of September, Craig decided that he couldn’t sit in his English class for another second. He couldn’t stand English. Analyzing other people’s words, reading between the lines, talking about how things made him feel? Really not this thing. 

He’d consistently gotten through all four years of high school with a C in English, and most of that time it was because he had Tweek to help him. 

Tweek absolutely excelled in English. He could read Poe, Dickinson, and Frost all day without a hint of confusion. Craig could barely get through O Captain, My Captain without getting lost, and that piece wasn’t even very complex. 

“Mrs Jensen?” Craig asked on the last Thursday of September. “Can I go to the bathroom?” 

Mrs Jensen looked suspicious. Craig Tucker certainly spent a lot of time in the bathroom for someone without any kidney problems. 

“Fine.” She said after a moment’s deliberation. It’s not like she really wanted him in her classroom anyway. 

“Great.” Craig muttered, jumping out of his seat to grab the bathroom pass. 

He didn’t have to go to the bathroom, but he was eager to get out of class and dick around for ten minutes instead of copying down vocab words. Craig took his time walking down the hall’s tile floor, stalling for as long as he could before arriving at the door to the boys’ bathroom. 

He pushed open the door and was met with a familiar sound. A sad, high pitched whimpering noise. It had to be Tweek. Craig would’ve recognized that sound anywhere. 

It was coming from inside the disability stall which was bigger than all the others, and the choice spot for public breakdowns. Craig had talked his ex boyfriend down from his bouts of misery in that very stall more than once over the course of their high school career. 

“Tweek?” He called out. 

The sound stopped quickly. Clearly, the person was startled by the sudden voice. There was a beat of silence, and then a nervous reply. 

“Craig?” 

Yep. Definitely Tweek. His voice was raw and broken. Craig had a primal urge to break down the door between them and hug him as tightly impossible. 

“What’s wrong?” He said instead. 

Tweek choked out another sob. 

“I’m fine.” He lied. “I promise, okay? I’m really gonna be fine.”

Craig sighed, stepping closer to the stall and bringing a hand up to touch it. He knew Tweek could see his high tops under the door. 

“I know you’re gonna be fine, Tweek.” He said sincerely. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. You’re not fine right now though, are you?”

Tweek paused again, obviously considering his words very carefully. 

“No.” He said finally. “I’m not fine right now.” 

Craig hummed in understanding. Comforting Tweek always meant walking a very fine line between consoling and patronizing. There was nothing that made Tweek angrier than being condescended to. 

Tweek had spent his entire life living in a town full of people who thought he was nothing but an incompetent spaz, when in all reality he was probably one of the smartest kids at school. Craig could only imagine how frustrating that had to be. 

“What’s wrong right now?” He asked. 

Tweek inhaled a deep, shaking breath of a hair before speaking again. 

“I had a...panic attack.” He admitted. “During class. It was really embarrassing!” 

Craig nodded. This made sense now. Tweek’s attacks always had a way of causing public scenes, and Tweek was always left feeling humiliated and ashamed. 

“I’m sorry that happened, dude.” 

“Everyone thinks I’m so stupid, Craig.” Tweek continued. “I always make myself look like an idiot.” 

Hearing his name in Tweek’s voice made his stomach do backflips. Craig missed him so, so much. 

“You aren’t an idiot.” He said firmly. “You’re the farthest thing in the world from stupid, Tweek.” 

Tweek laughed humorlessly. 

“Yeah, right.” 

Craig hung his head, unsatisfied with this response.

“Can I come in?” He asked. 

If they’d still been together he would’ve asked the second he first walked in the door. Now, though, he was a little bit paranoid about crossing boundaries. 

Tweek seemed to feel the same way, because he took almost ten seconds to respond.

“...okay.” He said finally. 

Craig heard him stand up and shuffle toward the door, unlocking it and swinging open the only barrier between them. 

Tweek looked bad. His lips were chapped and covered in dry blood, his eyes were red, and his hair was even more of a disaster than usual. 

“You look like shit.” Craig said before he could stop himself. 

He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth. Tweek’s own mouth fell open, but he looked more amused than anything. 

“Fuck, I’m sorry!” Craig said. 

Tweek laughed, punching him lightly in the upper arm. 

“You’re such an asshole.” He half joked. “I’ve missed your complete lack of social skills.” 

Craig’s heart stopped. 

“And I’ve missed your panic attacks.” He joked back. 

Tweek smiled at him, which was always a good sign. He seemed to already being be doing better than he had been five minutes ago. 

“Thanks for making me feel better.” He said quietly, still smiling.

As odd as the circumstances were, this was the best Craig had felt since the breakup. If just talking to Tweek was enough to make him feel better, maybe all he needed from him was a friendship. 

“No problem, hone-“ 

He cut himself off quickly. Goddamn it. Had he seriously let a pet name slip out? Jesus Christ. The smile didn’t disappear from Tweek’s face, but the look in his eyes got sadder. 

“I miss Stripe.” He said. 

Craig nodded. Tweek hadn’t seen their guinea pig in almost three weeks. Stripe was a rather resilient pig, but Craig knew their time with him was limited. Guinea pigs didn’t normally live so long. 

“He misses you too. Come over and see him whenever you want, dude. He’s your son too.”

Tweek laughed. Referring to their pet as a child was something they’d done for years, but it never failed to amuse him. 

“I’ll definitely take you up on that.” He said. 

Craig smiled. All he could think about was how much he wished he could kiss him right now. 

“I should get back to class.” Tweek said gently. “We both should.”

Craig nodded. He wanted to extend this conversation for as long as possible, but he couldn’t think of how to do that in a subtle way. 

“See you around, Tweek.” 

“Right. See ya.” 

With that, he left the room and left Craig alone. He grinned to himself, staring at the spot that Tweek had just disappeared from. That wasn’t exactly getting back together, but it was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you think about the story and follow me on tumblr @insanelycoolzoemurphy <3


	3. october

It was a few days before Tweek mustered the courage to visit Craig and Stripe, and when he did he showed up without any warning. 

Craig was laying on his bed and staring at his socks, listening as the television hummed in the background. He’d put on some shitty action movie and turned the volume down low, already anticipating that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate. 

Mind numbingly bored and equally as lazy, he considered jacking off but couldn’t be bothered. Maybe he could take a nap? But no, it was too late in the day for that and he appreciated getting a good night’s sleep.

A knock on the door distracted Craig from his inner conflict. He had been extremely engrossed in his own thoughts and embarrassingly enough, jumped at the unexpected sound. 

The knock was rapid, almost frantic. Craig sighed, assuming it was his little sister looking for someone to annoy. 

“Go away, Trish. I have homework.” He lied.

“It’s not Tricia, Craig.” A nervous voice said from the other side of the door. “It’s me.” 

Craig froze. It was very obviously Tweek who had spoken, but why was he here? In a perfect world, he would rush in and tell Craig how much he still loved him. How much he needed him. But this wasn’t a perfect world. 

“Tweek? Uh..come on in, dude.” 

The door opened cautiously, squeaking as it revealed Craig’s ex boyfriend standing behind it. He looked characteristically anxious, his hands hanging awkwardly at his sides and partly clenched into fists. 

“I hope this isn’t a bad time.” He said nervously, still standing outside of the room. 

No, Craig thought. It’s never a bad time. I literally can’t think of a single circumstance in which I’d call this a bad time. 

“It’s fine.” Craig said, hoping that his voice was its usual monotone. 

He was certain Tweek could see and hear the excitement on his face and in his words; that his desperation was dripping off him like sweat. 

“I just thought...” Tweek trailed off, getting flustered. 

He gestured awkwardly with his hands and stammered, but Craig wasn’t put off. This was Tweek after all, which meant that odd behavior was commonplace. 

“Take your time, dude.” Craig assured him. 

“Right. Okay.” 

Tweek took a deep breath, collecting himself for a moment before he continued. 

“I came here because you....saidicouldcomevisitstripe.” 

“Can you say that one more time?” Craig asked calmly. 

He recognized that they were slipping into their same old pattern, as Tweek exploded with nerves and Craig did his best to relax him. 

“Sorry!” Tweek said, now wringing his hands. 

“It’s fine, Tweek. Just say it again.” 

“Okay. Let me try this one more time.” 

Craig stared at him, waiting patiently until he could regain his composure.

“I came here because-“ 

He stopped talking yet again, gulping in another deep breath of air. 

“You...said I could come visit Stripe. Does that offer still stand?” 

This time, his words were crystal clear. Craig grinned. 

“Of course it does. This is better than another custody battle, isn’t it?” 

Tweek’s face relaxed into a smile and he laughed, remembering their fight from what seemed like a million years ago. It was their first breakup, and Craig had thought it would be their last. 

“I forgot about that!” Tweek said. “I still think you should have come with me when I left Coon and Friends.” 

“What, and join Kenny’s group? No fucking way, dude.” 

Craig was joking around with him, but in the back of his mind he couldn’t help but remember how hurt he’d been. Tweek had walked out on him eight years ago, and now he’d done it again.

“So....” Tweek said awkwardly, still lingering by the door and gazing longingly at Stripe’s cage. 

“Go ahead.” Craig said, climbing off of his bed and walking over to the cage. 

Tweek looked thrilled, following closely behind him. 

“Hey buddy.” Craig cooed as he approached the animal. “Hey there, Stripe.” 

He opened the cage as quietly as he could and stuck his hands in, gently lifting the guinea pig out of its cage. Its coat was rough under his fingers, and much thinner than it used to be. Tweek put out his hands and slowly and carefully, Craig handed him over. 

“Hi, Stripe.” Tweek whispered. “You’re looking good, man. How’ve you been?” 

He held him for a few minutes longer, stroking his fur and speaking softly to him as Craig looked on. 

“I think he’s ready to go back in his cage now.” Tweek said finally. “He seems exhausted.” 

Craig nodded. Stripe wasn’t a young guinea pig by any means, and he was a hell of a lot less playful now than he used to be. As he set him back into his enclosure, Tweek sighed. 

“He’s getting so old.” He whispered. 

Craig nodded. 

“I know.” 

Tweek squatted to the floor, peering at their guinea pig. Stripe lumbered around his cage, shuffling around in the bedding and searching for the perfect spot to sleep. Tweek watched him adoringly through the glass, beaming, and Craig felt his heart swell with happiness and heartache. 

This all felt too similar to the old days; the days when he and Tweek were inseparable and this was their little family. Now, Craig couldn’t accidentally brush his fingers against Tweek’s without feeling guilty. 

“Don’t you miss this?” Craig asked suddenly, immediately regretting it. 

It was almost as though his feelings took control of his body for a second there, grabbing at his strings and manipulating him like a marionette. Tweek looked startled by the question, whipping his head around to face Craig. 

“Don’t say shit like that, man!” He cried. 

Craig shrugged, feigning indifference. 

“Why?” He asked in what he hoped was a casual tone. “Because you do?” 

God, Craig thought. What is with me today? Why can’t I just stop talking? Tweek turned red, clearly flustered by the sudden line of questioning, and stood up, 

“Of course I miss this.” He whispered.

Craig felt a pit of guilt form in his stomach at the expression on Tweek’s face. Of all people, Craig should’ve known that bringing up the break up would upset him. 

“You can’t spend 8 years with someone and not miss him when he isn’t there anymore.” 

Craig was taken aback.

“I’m right here, Tweek.” He said seriously. “We don’t have to keep doing this, you know. Whatever point it is you wanted to prove by breaking up with me? You’ve done it, okay?” 

Tweek shook his head a few times, looking increasingly distressed as he tried to push past Craig and out the door. 

“I can’t-“

Craig stuck an arm out, blocking his exit. 

“We can be us again, Tweek. It’s not too late.” 

Tweek stared at him with big, sad eyes and shook his head one more time. 

“This is too much.” He said quietly. “I have to go.” 

Craig deflated, letting his arm go limp. Tweek shuffled away from him hurriedly. 

“Wait!” Craig said as Tweek rushed to the door. 

Tweek froze, looking terrified, and the now familiar feeling of guilt washed over Craig again. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, hanging his head in shame. “I shouldn’t have said all that stuff to you. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” 

Tweek looked relieved, comforted by the knowledge that Craig at least understood what he was doing wrong. 

“It’s okay.” He whispered. 

If he spoke any louder he feared he would cry, and he couldn’t afford that right now. He needed to be strong. 

“I hope I didn’t scare you off.” Craig said honestly. “Because Stripe still needs two dads.” 

Tweek smiled sadly, all the frustration flooding out of him in waves. 

“You didn’t scare me off..” He said honestly. 

••••

“Tweek came over yesterday.” Craig announced at lunch the next day. “Progress, right? 

“And did you get back together?” Token asked dryly. 

Craig glared at him. 

“No, we didn’t get back together.” He admitted. 

“Get back to me when you do.” 

••••

“Maybe you could hook up with someone at my party, Craig!” Clyde suggested happily.

He was anxious for his best friend to get back into the dating scene, and he would be absolutely thrilled if his upcoming party could help facilitate that. 

“Token, can you tell him to shut up?” Craig asked. 

“Shut up, Clyde.” 

They were sitting around in Clyde’s living room before the party, waiting for guests to arrive. It was Halloween night, and Clyde had called hosting the big occasion three months ago. 

“When should we g-ge-get into our costumes?” Jimmy asked. 

“Costumes?” Craig asked flatly. 

His friends looked at him, all with various stages of irritation on their faces. 

“Don’t tell me you forgot to bring a costume!” Clyde whined. 

Clyde was already dressed in his: a giant hotdog suit that Craig had already called stupid three times. 

“Is it really forgetting if I never intended to bring one in the first place?” 

All three of the other boys groaned, and Clyde buried his face in his hands. 

“I’m sorry!” Craig said. “No one told me this was a costume party.” 

“It’s Halloween, asshole.” Token said. 

“Yeah?” Craig said. “And I’m eighteen years old. When do we get to old for this shit again?” 

“Never.” Clyde replied confidently. 

A sound from outside kept Craig from answering, and everyone looked up to see a car pulling into the driveway. 

“Someone’s here.” Token said simply. “Let’s go get our costumes on, Jimmy.” 

They left to find their outfits, and Clyde and Craig watched as Stan Marsh got out of the driver’s seat. He was followed-as always-by Kyle from shotgun and Kenny and Cartman from the back. 

“Gross!” Craig said. “Jesus, Clyde. I know Kenny’s your friend, but did you have to invite the rest of them?” 

“There’s no way around it.” Clyde hissed back. “If you invite one of them, they all come. They latch onto each other like fucking fleas!” 

They watched as the group walked up to the house, and Clyde gestured through the window for them to come inside. Kenny tore open the door with a smile on his face, holding it open for his friends. 

“Hey, losers.” He greeted cheerfully, giving Clyde a high five. 

Kyle was behind him, dressed in a costume that looked very vaguely familiar to Craig. Some TV character maybe? Kenny was costume-less, and Cartman looked like some kind of werewolf creature. 

Stan was just as unimpressive as Kenny; wearing a football jersey, blue jeans, and his poof ball hat. 

“Where’s your costume, dude?” Token wondered. 

“I’m-um-a football player?” Stan said with a shrug. 

“That’s not really a costume, Stan.” Kyle pointed out. “That’s just...what you actually are.”

“Kenny doesn’t have a costume either!” Stan said defensively. 

“That’s where your wrong, Stanley.” Kenny said with a shake of his head.

“What?” 

Kenny held up a finger, signaling for them to wait, and slipped a backpack he was wearing off his shoulders. He unzipped it and pulled something out: a crumpled heap of yellow. He unfolded it and stuck it on his head, and Craig quickly realized what it was. 

“I’m Princess Kenny, bitches!” He announced. 

Stan and Kyle laughed disbelievingly as Cartman rolled his eyes, seeming completely bored with the whole situation. 

“Excuse me as I go adjust my hair.” Kenny said with a wink, heading toward a bathroom down the hall. 

“He seriously still wears that girls wig?” Clyde asked. “Isn’t that kind of weird?”

“Keep your mouth shut.” Kyle told him sternly, pointing a finger. 

“Yeah.” Cartman agreed unenthusiastically. “We just let Kenny do whatever he wants, and today he wants to be a chick.” 

Clyde’s eyes widened and he looked at Craig, who shrugged. Apparently Stan’s gang had decided to be civil towards each other tonight. 

As the night went on, Clyde’s house became increasingly noisy as it flooded with teenagers. Bebe Stevens showed up in a skin tight red dress, a sash, and with her golden hair tucked under a crown. 

“Miss America?” Token asked, to which she gave a nod of confirmation. 

Butters dressed as a puppy, Wendy dressed as a 1920s flapper, and Craig wished he had Tweek to do a couples costume with. They always did the best couples costumes. 

He spent most of the night wandering in and out of the kitchen, searching for snacks and avoiding conversation. On one of his trips to the fridge he ran into Stan, who looked just as bored as he did.

“What’s the problem, Stan?” He asked. “They aren’t playing enough emo music for you?” 

“Shut the fuck up, dude.”

“You can go ask Clyde to play some Fall Out Boy if you want, you know.”

Stan set down his can of beer on the island and took a step towards him. Craig chuckled, backing away but not really feeling threatened. Stan Marsh was drunk, and belligerent, and his legs were unsteady enough that even Butters could’ve beaten him in a fight. 

“Can you stop antagonizing me, dude?” Stan asked. “We’re all just here to have a good time.” 

“It not even 10 p.m. and your words are slurred, Marsh.” Craig taunted. “Are you sure you aren’t turning into your father?” 

Stan stopped, glowering at him in the low lighting of Clyde’s kitchen. Craig smirked viciously at him, knowing that he’d hit a sore spot and too far gone to care. 

“Whatever.” Stan said when he’d gathered his thoughts. 

Craig raised an eyebrow. Admittedly, he’d been expecting to get into a fist fight, or at the very least a screaming match. But now it seemed as though his opponent was backing down. 

“Whatever? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” 

Now it was Stan’s turn to smirk. 

“It means that I don’t have time to humor someone who’s only being a dick to me so he can forget how pussy whipped he is for his ex boyfriend.” 

Craig clenched his teeth in fury, sticking out a hand and shoving Stan backward into a cabinet. 

“Don’t fucking talk about my relationship.” He said darkly. 

Stan rolled his eyes to the back of his head and picked the can of beer back up, taking a swig. 

“Relationship?” He asked when he was done. “There is no relationship, Craig. He broke up with you, remember?” 

Craig thought about going home at that point; walking away from the argument that he’d started and letting the whole thing go. But at home there would be nothing to do except wallow in his loneliness, and this was a distraction. 

“At least we had a relationship, dick. You’re obsessed with your best friend! Fucking pathetic.” 

Stan glared daggers at him, and Craig almost regretted saying anything about Kyle. If it came down to it, Stan could probably kick his ass. 

“Don’t talk about Kyle.” He growled. “You don’t know shit about us.” 

“I know that you worship the ground he walks on.” 

“Why are you always like this?” Stan yelled over the music. 

Craig opened his mouth to snark back at him, but the kitchen door swung open and interrupted him. Kyle walked in and immediately assessed the situation, looking both boys up and down. Seeing their aggressive positions, he frowned. 

“Were you guys fighting?” He asked. 

“More like Craig was being a little bitch and I was defending myself.” Stan said, not breaking eye contact with his rival. 

Kyle glared at both of them, and rushed to grab Stan by the arm. 

“Come on, Stan.” He said. “Stop fighting and come hang out with me, okay?” 

Stan lit up at this, allowing Kyle to drag him back out into the party. Craig’s shoulders sunk. Well, there goes his distraction. He thought about heading back out to the party or getting another drink, but settled on just going home. It was getting late anyway, so he could probably fall asleep quickly. 

He waded through the crowded living room, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. It would probably only be a matter of hours before he saw half of them again. 

Craig opened the front door and stepped onto the front patio, but was startled when he saw that there was someone already sitting there. A blond, ex boyfriend sort of someone. 

Tweek turned around when he heard the door open, and he looked surprised to see Craig standing in front of them. 

“Craig?” He asked. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s my best friend’s party. Why wouldn’t I be here?” 

Tweek rolled his eyes. 

“Oh, I don’t know.” He said sarcastically. “Maybe because you’ve told me no less than 700 times how much you hate parties.” 

“And you’ve told me the same thing.” Craig countered. “So why are you here?” 

“Bebe really wanted me to come.” 

“Oh. No costume for you either, huh?” 

“Too much pressure. I didn’t know what to be.” 

Craig stepped out further and sat down next to Tweek on the top step. Tweek smiled at him, and Craig noticed that he had a large wet stain on his shirt. 

“Why are you all wet?” He asked.

Tweek sighed, pulling his knees tight to his chest. 

“I spilled soda all over myself.” He said. “I’m such a fucking spaz.”

He paused thoughtfully. 

“I guess that’s what I’m dressed as this year. A spaz. That’s what everyone else sees me as, anyway.” 

Craig frowned. 

“Well in that case, I guess I’m dressed as an unfeeling asshole.” He said. 

Tweek looked at him, concerned. 

“You’re not an unfeeling asshole, Craig.” 

“And you’re not a spaz.” 

Tweek smiled: first at the concrete, then at the stars. Then he craned his head to look Craig in the eye. 

“Happy Halloween, Craig.” 

Craig smiled back at him. 

“Happy Halloween.”

**Author's Note:**

> tell me what you think about the story so far! 
> 
> (additional chapters will be longer, I promise)


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